Street or market trading licence

To sell goods or provide a service in the street, on a public footway or up to 7 metres distance from any street, you need a licence.

We issue street trading licences to named individuals to sell commodities from a specified location in the market or miscellaneous sites on certain days. The licence can be temporary or permanent, but to become a permanent trader you must first trade as a temporary trader for at least 6 months.

proof of address (utility bill or bank statement within the last 3 months

proof of national insurance number

a copy of public liability insurance certificate (with a minimum of 5 million)

a copy of food safety and hygiene certificate (if trading in cooked food)

a copy of gas certificate if cooking with LPG gas

a copy of food registration certificate (if you're registered with another local authority then you may supply the certificate given to you by them. You must register with the local authority where your food preparation takes place

proof of right to work in the UK (if you are subject to immigration control only)

You will need to pay by debit / credit card. Please ensure that you don't close the window once you have made payment as there is one final step after the payment screen.

Need an assistant?

You may add up to 4 assistants to your market trading licence. Upload supporting information in the following formats - photos (gif, tiff, jpeg, jpg, png, bmp) and scanned documents in (doc, docx, pdf, gif, tiff) for each assistant:

clear passport photograph of your assistants

proof of identity (passport or driving licence)

proof of national insurance number

proof of address (utility bill or bank statement from within the last 3 months

What happens after you apply?

If you submit everything we need, we aim to process your licence within 10 working days. If you're unsuccessful, we will explain why or what you need to do to help us process it.

Enquiry form

Got a question about Hackney markets or interested in becoming a trader?

Types of licence and postal applications

Temporary licences

first time applicants can only apply for a temporary licence. This can also be renewed

if your licence has expired and you have not traded in our markets for a period of time, you can reapply for a temporary licence

traders at Ridley Road and Hoxton Markets can apply for a permanent licence after 6 months.

temporary licenced street traders can apply to fill vacant pitches in the markets. There are a number of vacant pitches available to temporary traders, however we are also authorised to place a temporary trader on a pitch left vacant by a permanent trader who has not turned up to trade for the day. The process of applying for a vacant pitch as a temporary licenced street trader varies for each market

temporary licences are also issued to charities or commercial organisations. Charities will be granted permission to trade for one day for free and are required to apply in writing on their headed note-paper giving details of their organisation, registered charity number, details of the promotion and their public liability insurance cover of 5 million. Charities pay the full fees and charges after the free day's trade.

Temporary licences are renewed every 6 months and are non-transferable.

Permanent licences

To become a permanent trader on Ridley Road or Hoxton Markets you must first trade as a temporary trader for at least 6 months, to establish a trading pattern. We award permanent licences based on your trading patterns, commodity and the availability of pitches. Permanent licences are renewed every year.

Please allow up to 7 working days for your renewal request to be processed and your licence to be sent out to you. Make cheques and postal orders payable to the London Borough of Hackney.

Assistant(s) licence

Traders can employ a registered assistant, to cover short period of times each day and for up to 4 weeks holiday a year. You must register your assistant/s using the assistant's registration form below. If the details of assistant change, an updated form must be submitted.

A permanent trader may have up to 4 assistants, but is not permitted to employ a manager. A temporary trader may also have up to 4 assistants to help alongside the trader.

The licensee is expected to be in visible control of the stall for most of the working week (51% of the time). Where a licensee is not at their stall for this time without a reason that we consider reasonable, we can revoke a licence for non-attendance.

An administration fee is charged to process the assistant application. Please refer to the fees and charges below.

Food business application - food hygiene regulations

The law requires you to
register your food business, if you prepare, sell, store or transport food or refreshments to sell in Hackney's markets. This includes, if you are taking over an existing business.